Bar Call
by Kitsune Moonstar
Summary: Mac gets a call to come pick up his people from the bar.


Author's note: I do not own CSI: NY or its characters. This is set some time between Slight Out of Hand and Snow Day.

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**Bar Call**

The call came at 3:13 a.m. Mac was just finishing up some paperwork. He'd been called to bars to pick up his people before. However, this was the first time he'd encountered both his best friend and his girl friend drunk at the same time. The bartender had clearly been reluctant to be the one to evict the pair, probably due to Stella's badge and gun, but rather worried about them. Apparently, the two women were currently recounting tales of the most gruesome crime scenes they had come across.

They were still at it when he arrived. Given the state of their table, Mac would guess the two of them had been at this for at least four or five hours, maybe longer. Stella grinned at him when she realized they weren't alone.

"Ma-ac. Hey, he's got his frowny face on."

Peyton tipped her head to the side to consider this. "His frowny face?"

"You know, when he disapproves of something and his forehead gets wrinkly."

Mac sighed. Stella had definitely had too much. "How about the three of us go home?"

Peyton wrinkled her nose at him. "Why?"

Stella nodded. "We're having a good time."

Peyton nearly tumbled out of her seat as she reached for her glass. Stella giggled, spilling her own drink.

"That's enough for the both of you." He helped Peyton out of her seat, wrapping an arm around her to keep her upright. "Let's go home."

Smiling up at him, his girlfriend wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest.

Stella clapped her hands together in glee. "You two are adorable, you know? I told you, and you were so worried that those idiots were right."

That caught Mac's attention. Stella and Peyton got along, but they were so close that they would go out and get absolutely smashed together. At least not under normal circumstances. Of course, neither Stella nor Peyton had a tendency to go out and get absolutely smashed under normal circumstances. Something had to have prompted this little bender.

After some effort, he managed to get both Stella and Peyton agree to leave the bar under their own power mostly. They were a little unsteady on their feet, Peyton more so than Stella, but at least they were underway to the car. It was slow going. Stella had a tendency to try and wander off on her own while Peyton had become unusually clingy. They were almost to his car when Stella declared, "I like Flack."

Mac looked at Stella. "I know. He's a good friend."

Peyton laid her head on his shoulder. "No, silly, she wants permission to date him."

Mac looked between the two of them. "I don't understand."

His girlfriend snuggled closer. "Stella wants to date Flack, but he won't date her unless you say it's okay. He scared of you."

"I see." He really didn't. Flack was an adult, and it was no business of his whom Flack did or did not date.

Stella stamped her foot. "So are you going give him permission or not? I'm half afraid that he'll just give up and move on."

Now this was awkward. Maybe he could just get them in the car and take them home. This was really not something he wanted to be discussion with Stella at all, let alone with a drunken Stella. Maybe she wouldn't remember this in the morning.

"I'll take care of it, Stella. Why don't you get in the car?"

It took some doing but he managed to get them both into the car and buckled up. Mac took them both home. There was no way he was about to leave either of them on their own. He was seriously considering tracking down whoever started whatever prompted their little bender and making sure they never crossed paths with either Stella or Peyton ever again. He was fairly certain that something had happened to cause this little bender of theirs, but neither of them was being at all forthcoming on that front. On other things, however, his was getting quite an education. For instance, they had apparently made several decisions about their roles in future events and his.

"You're going to give Stella away at her wedding. Stella is going to be godmother to any children I have, and I'm supposed to keep you from killing yourself with work."

He nodded, not really paying attention. Mac had a feeling that he would be wise to ignore much of what his girls were saying; otherwise, he might find himself in trouble tomorrow. It took some doing, but he managed to get both women inside his brownstone and into bed: Stella in the guest room and Peyton in his bed. He took the couch after setting the coffee maker. He had a feeling he was going to need the caffeine in the morning.

Mac was awakened later that morning by the distinct sounds of someone emptying their stomach. He checked the coffee machine then poured three cups before going in search of whichever of the ladies was awake. He found Peyton leaning over the toilet. Holding her hair back, he handed her a washcloth.

"How are you feeling?"

"Miserable. Is there coffee?"

"In the kitchen." He gave her a hand up.

They found Stella already helping herself to the coffee. She wrapped her hands around the mug and narrowed her eyes at them. "Mine."

Peyton laughed. "I'm not going to steal your coffee, but if you think you're keeping the entire pot, then I'm going to have to fight you for it."

He let them wake up some, waiting for the right moment to bring up the night before. He still wanted to know what had happened to prompt such odd behavior on both their parts. It was something he would expect from Flack and Danny, not Stella and Peyton. Finally, Mac was done waiting.

"So, do you want to tell me what last night was about?"

Peyton and Stella traded looks. "No."

Mac frowned. "No?"

"You can't do anything about it Mac." Stella sighed. "It'll just piss you off."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're sure about that?"

Stella nodded. "Yes."

Turning to his girlfriend, he smiled. "Peyton?"

"Sorry, Mac. I agree with Stella."

The detective was wise enough to let the subject drop. He wasn't going to get anything out of either of them right now. If he was lucky, he might be able to get the story out of one of them at a later date. Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to corner either of them before they were all called into work. He did notice the whispers of the lab techs though as well as the fact that Stella seemed to be more annoyed with them than usual. He also noticed Flack's tendency to hover around Stella even when they didn't have a case.

He finally pulled his friend aside. "Are you going to ask Stella out? I think she's getting a little impatient."

Flack looked mildly panicked. Mac turned back to the lab results he was holding. At least, he was off the hook with Stella for that. Now if he could just find her, so they could finish this case. He found her in one of the labs, arguing with one of the lab techs.

"The M.E. has to be wrong. It wouldn't surprise me given she's more interested in--"

Stella's hand came down hard on the counter. "I wouldn't finish that sentence. And I wouldn't say things like that about my friend either. All of the evidence supports the M.E.'s findings except for this."

Stella looked up. "Hey, Mac. Everything adds up except this one piece of trace."

He took the print out. That little scene explained some things. "What was that about?"

"It's been dealt with. So, do think it's just circumstantial?"

"How strong is the rest of the evidence?"

"It's pretty solid. There's really no reason to think that it should effect the case. Angell's picking up our guy right now."

Peyton rounded the corner. "Stella, are we still on for lunch?"

Mac could feel the lab tech watching the scene. What was the man expecting, bloodshed? Stella and Peyton had always gotten along. They seemed a good deal closer these days. There was something thing about getting completely smashed together that brought people together.

"I just have to finish up with the suspect they're bringing in, and I'm good to go. Oh, Lindsay and Angell can make it on Saturday, so we're set." She smiled at Mac. "We promise to give the bartender Flack's number this time."


End file.
